water softeners - user manual search engine · ,jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj. a. safety guides • read all...

OWNER'SMANUAL

MODEL NOS.

UltraSoft 275625.388270[03]

UltraSoft 280625.388280[03]

Caution:Read and Follow

All Safety Rules andOperating InstructionsBefore First Use ofThis Product.

If you have questions wheninstalling, operating or main-taining your softener, andwhen setting the timer, callthis toll-free number...

1-800-426-9345

(M - F, 7 am - 8 pm, CST)

For repair or replacementparts, call this toll-free num-ber...

1-800-366-7278

See back cover for otherSears service numbers.

www.Ken moreWater.com

SAVE THIS MANUAL

Water Softenerswith Deluxe Valve

4, Warranty

4, Start Up / Setting Timer

4, How It Works

4, Care Of

4, Specifications

4, Repair Parts I Systems Tested and Certified by NSF International Iagainst NSF/ANSl Standard 44 for softener performance.

Use the plastic bag and tie provided, to hang manualsnearby the softener for future reference,

I Roebuck and 3333 Hoffman IL 60179 USA II

Sears, Co., Beverly Road, Estates,=

PRINTED IN U.S.A. 7276547 (Rev. C 8/24/05)

WARRANTY

A

ANTY

SEARS RESIDENTIAL WATER SOFTENER

FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON WATER SOFTENER

For one year from the date of purchase, when this water softener is installed andmaintained in accordance with our instructions, Sears will repair, free of charge,defects in material or workmanship in this water softener.

FULL TEN YEAR WARRANTY AGAINST LEAKS

For ten years from the date of purchase, Sears will furnish and install a new currentmodel water softener tank or salt storage drum, free of charge, if either the tankor drum develop a leak.

TO OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE, SIMPLY CONTACT THE NEAREST SEARSSERVICE CENTER THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. This warranty ap-plies only while this product is in use in the United States.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights whichvary from state to state.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., D/817 WA, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

If you want your water softener professionally installed, talk to your Sears Salesman. He will arrange for a

prompt, quality installation by Sears Authorized Installers.

SEARS INSTALLATION POLICY

All installation labor arranged by Sears shall be per-formed in a neat, workmanlike manner in accor-

dance with generally accepted trade practices. Fur-

ther, all installations shall comply with all local

laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances. Custom-

ers shall also be protected, during installation, by in-surance relating to Property Damage, Workman's

Compensation and Public Liability.

SEARS INSTALLATION WARRANTY

In addition to any warranty extended to you on the

Sears merchandise involved, which warranty be-comes effective the date the merchandise is

installed, should the workmanship of any Sears ar-

ranged installation prove faulty within one year,

Sears will, upon notice from you, cause such faultsto be corrected at no additional cost to you.

FACTS AND FIGURES TO KEEP

Fill in the blanks below and keep this book in a safe place so you always havethese facts.

Water Softener Model No.t

Serial NumberDate Installed

Water Hardness Grains Per GallonIron Content Parts Per Million

pH 'Ihste And/Or Odor

Water Pressure Pounds/Square InchWater Flow Rate Gallons Per Minute

± The model number is on the rating decal, located on the rim, under the salt hole cover.

A

salt hole cover

ratingdecal

Iii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iii_ii_i_iiTABLE OF CONTENTS

AB

E

0F

CON

EN

,JJJJ JJJ_J_J_J_J,

a.

B.

C.

D.

E.

a.

B.

a.

B.

C.

D.

A.

a.

WATER SOFTENER START UP

Safety Guides

Check List of Step-By-Step Guides To Install

Program The Timer

Sanitizing The Water Softener

Adding Salt To The Storage Tank

HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

Faceplate Timer Features

Soft Water Service and Regeneration

CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

Salt: Adding To The Storage Tank / Salt Bridge ...........

Keeping The Water Softener Clean

Protect The Water Softener From Freezing

Checklist (Not Getting Soft Water)

ABOUT YOUR WATER SOFTENER

Dimensions / Specifications

PAGE NO.

1-1

1-2

1-3, 1-4

1-5

1-6

2-1 to 2-3

2-4 to 2-6

3-1

3-2

3-3

3-4

4-1,4-2

B.

C.

a.

SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION

Troubleshooting ....

Rotary Valve Service

Water Flow Through The Softener Valve-

5-1 to 5-4

5-5

5-6 to 5-8

B.

C.

REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

Water Softener Complete

Brine Valve Assembly ....

Valve Assembly

6-1, 6-2

6-3, 6-4

6-5, 6-6

B

[i!i !! :i:_!! :i:_!! :i:_!! :i SECTION 1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

S

CT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJ.

'JJ_i JJJJJJJJJ",JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJ._dJ JdJdJdJdJ.,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

A. SAFETY GUIDES

• Read all steps, guides and rules carefully beforeinstalling and using your new water softener. Followall steps exactly to correctly install. Failure to followthem could cause personal injury or property damage.Reading this book will also help you to get all of thebenefits from your water softener.

• Your water softener will remove hardness mineralsand "clear water" iron* from water, up to the limitsshown on page 4-1. It will not remove other types ofiron, acids, tastes and odors, etc. It will not purify pol-luted water or make it safe to drink.

• Protect the softener and piping from freezing. Dam-age from freezing voids the softener warranty. Seepage 3-3.

CAUTIONS

PLEASE READ AND COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWINGGUIDES TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE SOFTENEROR OTHER PROPERTY, PERSONAL INJURY, OR POS-SIBLE FATAL SHOCK.

• THIS SOFTENER WORKS ON 24 VOLTS ONLY. BESURE TO USE ONLY THE TRANSFORMER INCLUDED,AND PLUG IT INTO A NOMINAL 120V, 60 CYCLEHOUSEHOLD OUTLET THAT IS GROUNDED ANDPROPERLY PROTECTED BY AN OVERCURRENT DE-VICE SUCH AS A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR FUSE. IFTRANSFORMER IS REPLACED, USE ONLY THE AU-THORIZED SERVICE, CLASS II, 24 VOLT, 10 VATRANSFORMER.

• Unplug the transformer right away if the powercable should become damaged or frayed. Make re-pairs, or replace transformer, before plugging backinto the power outlet.

• Always unplug the softener from electrical powerbefore removing outer valve covers.

• This system is not intended to be used for treatingwater that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknownquality without adequate disinfection before or afterthe system,

* The capacity to reduce clear water iron is substantiatedby WQA test data.

1-1

Problems, Questions? Call 1- 800- 426- 9345 Kenmore Water Line


B. CHECK LIST OF STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO INSTALL

To be sure you have done all the steps to install the

softener, read the following list. Refer to the Installa-

tion Manual, part no. 7258997, for step-by-stepguides.

Page numbers referred to are in the InstallationManual unless otherwise noted.

Is the house water flow going INTO the softener

valve INLET? Trace piping to be sure. See pages2-4 and 2-5.

Is the plumbing bypass valve (or 3 valves) set for

SERVICE? Bypass valve(s) should always re-

main in soft water service position. Position in"bypass" only if needed for softener repairs. See

FIG. 14, page 4-1 of this manual.

Is the valve drain hose connected the right way,

and without sharp bends or kinks that could

stop or reduce water flow? See page 3-5 in theinstallation manual.

Page numbers referred to are in the InstallationManual unless otherwise noted.

Is the transformer plugged into an inside, al-

ways live, grounded, 120V-60Hz electrical out-

let? See pages 3-8 and 3-9 in the installationmanual, and the wiring schematic on page 5-1 ofthis manual.

_-" Be sure to restart the water heater. See page 3- 9.

INLET

3va,veJf, J

l__Bypass Valve(s)

California Efficiency Requirement

Your Kenmore Water Softener has a "High Effi-ciency" feature with an "ON" or "OFF" setting.

This softener setting is shipped in the "OFF"position, which utilizes the maximum rated ca-

pacity while most often achieving maximum salt

efficiencies. When installing this unit in the State

of California, you MUST turn this setting to the"ON" position which may initiate more frequent

recharges, however it will operate at 4000 grains

per pound of salt or higher.

If you wish to turn the Salt Efficiency feature

"ON" (_ icon will show in display), follow the

instructions in the Faceplate Timer Features, Sec-tion 2 of this manual.

NOTE: Codes in the state of Massachusetts require installationby a licensed plumber. For installation, use plumbing code248- CMR of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

1-2



C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

salt level adjust UP buttonsignal light adjust SELECT button

....diii f

t.EVEL LEVEL •

I /

P ss oR cus omerAss nceTONIGHT 1-800-426-9345 [_

HOLD FOR www.KenmoreWatercom

IMMEDIATE

LOWSALT

RECHARGE button DOWN button

When the transformer is plugged in, a model code,

and a test number (example: J]0) show in the faceplate display for 4 seconds. Then, J2:O0 AM and

PRESENT TIME begin to flash.

! I1-1U fU

I I "-I,1--| I--I AMI

I I_-,LILI /

PRESENT TIME I

Notes:

If SR - - or .... shows in the display, press the

UP[] orDOWN[_ button until SR33 shows in the

display. Then, press the SELECT button to set, andchange to the flashing PRESENT TIME display.

To check the model code, unplug the transformer at

the wall outlet and plug in again, if other than thiscode shows, see page 5-3 to reset.

SOUND "BEEPER": A "beeper" sounds whilepressing buttons for timer set-up. One beep signals

a change in the face plate display. Repeated beeps

mean the timer will not accept a change from the

button you have pressed, telling you to use another

button. For example, while setting the hardness

(step 2), the beeper sounds repeatedly when the dis-

play reaches 1 using the DOWN button, or the high-est hardness setting using the UP button.

_SET PRESENT TIME OF DAY

If the words PRESENT TIME do not show in the dis-

play, press the SELECT button (FIG. 2) until they do,

or see the previous notes.

• Press the UP or DOWN buttons to set the present

time. Press UP to move the display ahead; pressDOWN to move the time backward.

If the present time is between

noon and midnight, be sure PMshows.

If the present time is between

midnight and noon, be sure AMshows.

I_I,I-"I"1PM

'DO I

PRESENT TIME

I h-II -AM

I I,_-I1_-I I

PRESENT TIME

Each press of the UP or DOWN buttons changes

the time by 1 minute. Holding the buttons in

changes the time 32 minutes each second.

1-3



C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

SET WATER HARDNESS NUMBER E! SET RECHARGE (REGENERATION) TIME

• Press the SELECT button once to display 25(flashing) and HARDNESS.

The grains per gallon (gpg) hard-

ness of your water supply is on

your water analysis report. Besure to enter water test results on

page A, for future reference.

123

HARDNESS

If your water supply contains iron, compensate for

it by adding to the water hardness number. For ex-

ample, assume your water is 20 gpg hard and contains 2ppm iron. Add 5 to the hardness number for each 1 ppm

of iron. In this example, you would use 30for your hard-hess numbel:

20 gpg hardness

2 ppmironx 5 = 10 +10(times) 30 HARDNESS NUMBER

• Press the UP or DOWN buttons to set your waterhardness number in the display. The DOWN button

moves the display to 1. The UP button moves thedisplay to the highest setting (see maximum setting

for your model in the specifications).

Note:

Each press of the UP or DOWN button changes the

display by 1 between 1 and 25. Between 25 and the

highest number, the display changes 5 at atime...25, 30, 35, etc. Holding the UP or DOWNbut-

ton in changes the display twice each second.

• Press the SELECT button to display 2:00 AM

(flashing) and RECHARGE TIME.

At the 2:00 AM recharge time

setting, the softener begins re-

generation (see pages 2-4 and

2-5) at 2:00 AM. This is a good

nFI AdC'UU |

RECTIHA_GE I

time in most households because water is not being

used (see Automatic Bypass, page 2-6). If a differ-ent recharge time setting would be better for your

household, do the following.

• Press the UP or DOWN buttons to set the desired

recharge starting hour. Be sure to observe the AM-

PM as you did when setting the present time of day.

Note:

Each press of the UP or DOWN buttons changes thedisplay one hour. Holding the buttons in changes

the display twice each second.

• Press the SELECT button once again, to com-

plete initial programming, and the current time ofday shows in the display.

m4

=° _

IF YOU NEED HELP PROGRAMMING THE TIMER, CALL TOLL FREE,NUMBER 1- 800- 426- 9345.

SEE PAGES 2-1, 2-2 AND 2-3 FOR OTHER FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES.

1-4



D. SANITIZE THE

Care is taken at the factory to keep your water soft-ener clean and sanitary. Materials used to make the

softener will not infect or contaminate your water

supply, and will not cause bacteria to form or grow.

However, during shipping, storage, installing and

operating, bacteria could get into the softener. Forthis reason, sanitizing as follows is suggested (i9

when installing.

_The first time you sanitize your softener, be sure

to do all steps in the installation manual, and on

pages 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 of this manual first.Note: Be certain the bypass valve is pulled out

to "service" position.

_Lift the salt hole cover and use a pail to fill the

salt storage tank with up to 3 gallons of water.

_1 Remove the brinewell cover (FIG. 3) and pour

about 3/4 ounce, or 1 to 2 tablespoons, of com-mon 5.25%, unscented, household bleach (Clo-

fox, Linco, BoPeep, White Sail, Eagle, etc.) in the

softener brinewell. Replace the brinewell cover.

D Press the RECHARGE button and holdfor 3 se-

conds to start a recharge. This first recharge doesseveral things.

• It draws the bleach into and through the softenerto sanitize it.

• It fills the salt tank to the water level needed.

• It gets all the air out of the resin tank.

• It prepares the resin bed (see page 2-4) for ser-vice and flushes residual chlorine from the soften-

er.

Notes:

This recharge takes about 2-1/2 or 2- 3/4 hours, de-

pending on the salt type setting (page 1-4).

You can sanitize the softener with or without salt

in the storage tank.

WATER SOFTENER

water,about 3 gallons

brinewelI cover

(remove and addabout 3/4 oz.

bleach)

brinewell

Recommended by the Water Quality Association, On somewater supplies, the water softener may need periodicdisinfecting.

1-5



El

Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each and

every regeneration. The water for making brine is me-

tered into the salt storage tank by the softener.

You must keep salt in the tank, but because the wa-

ter softener is very efficient, it is not necessary to

keep it full. Especially in humid areas, it is best tofill the storage tank one quarter to one half full, and

to refill it more often. Salt bridging (see page 3-1) oc-curs more often when conditions are humid.

ADDING SALT TO THE STORAGE TANKWATER SOFTENING SALT WITH IRON REMOVING

ADDITIVES -- Some salts have an additive to help thesoftener handle iron in the water supply. These saltsmay be used if your water supply has a high iron con-tent. It is recommended to use Sears Resin Bed Clean-

er 42- 34426, for periodic treatments to keep your resinbed clean. This is available at your local Sears store.

Use NUGGET or PELLET water softener salt. DO

NOT use rock salts, as they have dirt and sedimentsthat will stop the softener from working.

Before adding salt, be sure the brinewell cover is inplace on the top of the bfinewelt. It is recommended toset the salt monitor system, although it is not required

for proper operation (see page 2-1).

Note: The salt monitor system, page 2-1, is calibratedto the density of nugget or pellet water softener salt.The monitor will not work as accurately with other

types of salt including rock and solar.

If you choose Potassium Chloride (KC1) as a regener-ant, following these suggestions will help give youyears of maintenance free service.

1) Place only one bag of KC1 in your softener at a time(the salt storage tank should contain no more than 60

pounds of KC1 at any one time).2) A softener using KC1 should not be placed in areaswith temperature fluctuations and high humidity(KC1 will harden in these environments and maymake the softener inoperable).3) Check the brine tank and brine well (black tube in

salt storage tank) monthly. If hardening is present,pour small amounts of warm water on hardened areasuntil they loosen.4) If your softener does not have a KC1 salt setting youmust increase your hardness setting by 25% to ensure

continuous soft water as in example below.

Raw Water Hardenss

(grains per gallon)Softener setting when

using KC1

5 gpg 7 gpg

50 gpg 13 gpg

55 gpg 19 gpg

20 gpg 25 gpg+ 25 % =

25gpg 32gpg

30 gpg 38 gpg

35gpg 44 gpg

40 gpg 50 gpg

Sodium information: Water softeners using sodiumchloride for regeneration add sodium to the water.Persons who are on sodium restricted diets should

consider the added sodium as part of their overall so-dium intake. For example, if your water supply is 15

grains hard, and you drank 3 quarts of softened wateryou would consume 335 milligrams of sodium. Thatis equivalent to eating 2-1/2 slices of white bread.

Persons who are concerned about their drinking watershould consider a Kenmore Drinking Water Systemthat will remove or reduce in excess of 90% of the so-

dium and other drinking water contaminants.

1-6


[i!i !! _;_ !! _;_ SECTION 2 _i:!!! _;_ !! _;_i] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

A. FACEPLATE TIMER FEATURES

S

CT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJ_JJJJJdJJJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

EXTRA RECHARGE

Sometimes, a manually started

regeneration (recharge) may bedesired, or needed. Two exam-

ples are:

- You have used more water than

usual (guests visiting) and youmay run out of soft water before

the next timer started regenera-tion.

- You did not refill the softener

with salt before it was gone. Afteryou refill with salt:

You can start a regeneration rightaway, or you can set the timer to

regenerate at the next 2:00 AM (or

other preset recharge time). Do

the following.

I1_ RECHARGE NOW [i°_] _7 -_nn_'_'L0Press the RECHARGE button _,_G_

and hold until *RECHARGE, Serv ..........

and Fill begin to flash in the display. Upon reaching

fill, the first cycle of regeneration, the flashing Servgoes off and Fill is on steady. RECHARGE continues

to flash. This regeneration will last for about 2

hours. After the 2 hours, you will have soft water

again.

*Note:

If the CLEAN feature is set to ON, a cleaning back-wash (CLEAN and Bkwsh or Rinse flashes in the dis-

play, along with the minutes of the clean cycle re-

maining) precedes the recharge.

I1_ RECHARGE TONIGHT ;°'_ -u-nq _HjO

Press and release (do not hold) the _o,_G_ _O_,_,T

RECHARGE button. RE-WATER FLOW

CHARGE TONIGHT flashes in the display, and the

softener begins regeneration at the next preset re-

charge time. Press and release the RECHARGE but-ton once more if you decide to cancel the regenera-tion, and RECHARGE TONIGHT will not flash in

the display.

I1_ SALT MONITOR SYSTEM

The face plate timer has a low salt monitor with anindicator light to remind you to add salt to the stor-

age tank. To set this monitor system:

_1_ Lift the salt hole cover and level the salt in the

storage tank.

m The salt level decal on the brinewell inside the

tank, has numbers from 0 to 8 (see drawing be-low). Observe the number the leveled salt is ator closest to.

m Now, press the SALT LEVEL ADJUST button

until black bars display up to the salt level num-ber. For example, the pictures below show thesalt level at 6.

E! Finally, set the level you want the low salt indi-

cator light to come on. Press the SIGNAL LIGHTADJUST button until a (÷) shows opposite this

number. In the example below, the light will

come on when the stored salt drops to level 2. At

level 2, the storage tank is about 1/3 full. This isthe lowest you should allow the stored salt level

to drop to (see note on page 1-6).

_If you wish to turn the salt monitor off, press the

SIGNAL LIGHT ADJUST button until OFFshows above.

Note:

Your salt monitor is an estimate of your salt level; ac-

curacy depends on the type of salt used and other

regeneration characteristics.

saltlevel

bars, saltlevel

8 ,

7 ,

6

brinewell

decal

_NPRESS FOR

TONIGHT

HOLD FORIMMEDIATE

indicator light s_°w

2-1


[i!i !! :;:_!! :;:_ SECTION 2 :i:!!! :;:_!! :;:_i] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

A. FACEPLATE TIMER FEATURES

OPTIONAL SETTINGS - SALT EFFICIENCY,

CLEAN FEATURE, CLEAN FEATURE MINUTES,MAXIMUM DAYS BETWEEN REGENERA-

TIONS and 12 / 24 HOUR CLOCK:

1. To set any of the following options, press and hold

SELECT for 3 seconds until 000 shows in the display.

Then press once until the SALT EFFICIENCY dis-

play shows. Use the UP or DOWN buttons to

change the ON / OFF displays.

I IU I- F I_1I-1

[]SALT EFFICIENCY: _,_ When this feature is ON,

the unit will operate at salt efficiencies of 4000 grains

of hardness per pound of salt or higher, which will

reduce the softeners salt usage. (May recharge more

often using smaller salt dosage and less water).When installing this unit in the State of California,

this setting MUST be ON.

2. Press SELECT again to show the CLEAN display.

DFF PJn[]CLEAN: This feature is beneficial on water sup-

plies containing iron and/or high amounts of sedi-ments (sand, silt, dirt, etc.). When set to ON, a back-

wash and fast rinse cycle will occur first, preceeding

the normal regeneration sequence (see page 2-4).

This provides extra cleaning of the resin bed before

it is regenerated with the salt brine. To conserve wa-

ter, if your water supply does not contain iron orsediments, be sure this feature is set to OFF. For

UltraSoft 280 the default is ON, for UltraSoft 275 thedefault is OFF.

3. Press SELECT again until the CLEAN TIME dis-

play shows.

1,- [ 3"r_

default minutes example: time set to 3 minutes

[CLEAN feature minutes: If you are using this fea-

ture, the length of the extra backwash cycle auto-

matically sets to 7 minutes. However, you can ad-

just this time from 1 to 15 minutes in length. Tochange this cycle time, use the UP button to increasethe time, or the DOWN button to shorten the time.

If no change is desired, continue below.

4. Press SELECT again to show the following RE-

CHARGE display.

ot i R c ARo :'°Atdefault display example: set to 4 days maxi-

mum between regenerations

[]Maximum days between iKgenerations: The face-

plate timer automatically controls regeneration fre-

quency (see page 2-5). This provides the greatestoperating efficiency, and under most conditions thisfeature will be left in its default mode. However,

you can modify this feature if you want to force a

regeneration every set number of days. For exam-

ple, if your water supply contains iron and you

want the softener to regenerate at least once every

few days to keep the resin bed clean, set the display

as typically shown above. Setting is available from1 to 15 days by using the UP and DOWN buttons.

5. Press SELECT to show the 12 HOUR display.

[12 or 24 hour clock: All time J-aC _displays are shown in standard Ir I ,-pM

clock time (1 to 12 PM; and 1 to T,M_12 AM) at the 12 hr default set-

.Ziu i_ _ting. If military time displays are L IJ .desired, set to 24 hr by pressing

the UP button. T_M_

6. Press SELECT to return to the present time dis-

play.

WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SOFTENER

If soft water is in use, the water

flow bars continually scroll

across the display. The barsscroll slowly when water flow isslow, and move faster as waterflow increases. The flow bars donot show when all faucets and

water using appliances are off.

Flow bars scroll when _'_ I ID:_8 "

2-2


[i!i !! _,i_ !! _,i_ SECTION 2 :i !! _,i_ !! _,i_i] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

RECHARGE TIME REMAINING and VALVEPOSITION INDICATORS

One of the valve position indi-cators (Serv, Fill, Brine,

Bkwsh, Rinse) is displayed

while the softener is recharg-ing (See *Note on page 2-1 ifthe CLEAN feature is ON).RECHARGE flashes in the

valve rechargeposition time

indicators remaining

I i I,oy,:, TNi

TIME REMAININ_._ I

display and, beginning with Brine, the minutes ofrecharge remaining before return to service appears

in place of the present time. When the valve is mov-

ing from one cycle to another, both position indica-

tors are flashing.

PROGRAM MEMORY

If electrical power to the softener goes off, the time

display is blank but the face plate timer keeps the

correct time for about 6 hours. When electrical pow-er comes on again, you have to reset the present

time only if the display is flashing. The HARDNESS

and RECHARGE TIME never require resetting un-

less a change is desired.Even if the timer is incorrectafter a long power outage, the softener works as it

should to keep your water soft. However, regenera-

tions may occur at the wrong time of day until you

reset the timer to the correct time of day (page 1-3).

ERROR CODE

An error code could appear in C_ _I_1 I

the face plate display if a prob-lem occurs in the softener elec-

tronics. Turn to page 5-2 under

"Troubleshooting" to resolve

the problem and/or call the Kenmore Water Line1- 800- 426- 9345.

KENMORE'S ULTRA CLEANSING FEATURE

(UltraSoft 280 only)

The ultra cleansing feature keeps larger particles of

sediment from entering the home's plumbing sys-

tem. As water passes through the softener, the larg-

er sediment particles are collected in the integratedbasket and then rinsed to the drain before each re-

generation. The ultra cleansing feature provides

added protection for water-using appliances by re-

ducing the chance of larger particles entering thevarious product's valves and screens.

An extra backwash will be pre-programmed into

the electronics by the factory (see "Clean Feature" in

Section 2 "Faceplate Timer Features" in this manu-

al). This extra backwash will help keep the ultracleansing feature screen clean.

Important: The ultra cleansing feature is not in-tended to replace pretreatment filtration. For prob-

lem water applications, additional sediment filtra-tion is recommended.

Sears offers a full- line of dedicated sediment filtra-

tion products including the Whole Home Filter and

Automatic Clarifying Filter.

ultra cleansing screen

L

top distributor

2-3


[i!i !! :i :_!! :i :_ SECTION 2 _i:!!! :i :_!! :i _i] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

B. SOFT WATER SERVICE and REGENERATION

SERVICE

When the softener is giving you soft water, it is

called "Service". During service, hard water comes

from the house main water pipe into the softener.

Inside the softener resin tank is a bed made up of

thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads (FIG. 5). Ashard water passes through the bed, each bead at-tracts and holds the hardness minerals. This is

called ion-exchanging. Water without the hardnessminerals (soft water) flows out of the softener and

into the house soft water pipes.After a period oftime, the resin beads hold all of the hardness miner-

als they can, and cleaning with salt brine is needed.

This cleaning is called regeneration or recharge. Re-generation is started at 2:00 a.m. by the electronic

timer (see page 2-6). It takes place in 5 stages or

cycles. These are:

[] FILL [] BACKWASH

[] BRINING [] FAST RINSE

[] BRINE RINSE

Note:

If the Clean feature is set to ON, additional back-

wash and fast rinse cycles occur before the fill cycle.

Water Flow Throughthe Softener in Service

soft water hard waterOUT IN

salt storage

tank (saltnot shown)

brine valve

\ resin tank

resin bed

REGENERATION

[] FILL: Salt, dissolved in water, is called brine.

Brine is needed to dean the hardness minerals from

the resin beads. To make the brine, water flows into

the salt storage area during the fill stage as shownin FIG. 6. Fill cycle length depends on how much

soft water making capacity you have used since the

last regeneration. As you use more water, fill timeincreases so more brine is made. The greateramount of brine cleans more hardness minerals

from the resin bed.

Water Flow Throughthe Softener in Fill

soft water hard waterOUT IN

salt storagetank

brine valve

fill water

z

z

2-4


[i!i !! :i :_!! :i :_ SECTION 2 :i:!!! :i :_!! :i :_i] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS


[] BRINING: During brining, the brine is moved

from the salt storage area, into the resin tank. Insidethe resin tank, brine cleans hardness minerals from

the resin beads and they are discharged out thedrain. How much brine is needed to clean the resin

depends on:

- - the amount of service water used between regen-erations,

- -the amount of resin in the softener,

--how fast the brine goes through the bed.

The nozzle and venturi (FIG. 7) makes suction to

take brine from the salt tank and put it into the resin

tank. They keep the brine flow down to a very slow

rate to get the best resin cleaning with the least salt.

[] BRINE RINSE: After all of the brine is moved

into the resin tank, the brine valve closes. Water

keeps flowing the same way it did during briningexcept the brine flow has stopped. Hardness miner-als and brine flush from the resin tank to the drain.

Brining and brine rinse together vary in the length

of time they take, relative to the fill cycle length.

Water Flow Through the Softenerin Brining and Brine Rinse

hard water hard water

bypass OUT t !IN

brine valve

\

drain

brine

_]1 BACKWASH: During backwash, water flows

UP through the resin tank (FIG. 8) at a fast rate toflush iron minerals, dirt and sediments from the bed

and to the drain. The bed lifts and expands for goodcleaning.

Water Flow Through theSoftener in Backwash

hard water hard water

bypass OUT t fIN

drain

resin bed lifted

and expanded

[] FAST RINSE: Backwash is followed by a fast

flow of water down through the resin tank. The fast

flow packs the resin bed and gets it ready for returnto service (FIG. 9).

After fast rinse, the softener returns to service. Hard

water goes into the resin tank where the resin bed

again takes out the hardness minerals. Soft water

goes to the house soft water pipes.

Water Flow Through theSoftener in Fast Rinse

soft water hard water

°°'0 !'"

drain

2-5


[i!i !! _,i_ !! _,i_ SECTION 2 _i_!!! _i_ !! _i_ I HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS


AUTOMATIC BYPASS

During the brining, brine rinse and backwash cycles

of regeneration, HARD water goes through the soft-

ener valve and to the house pipes. If a faucet isopened, hard water is there for your needs. Howev-

er, you should not use hot water, if possible, becausethe water heater will refill with hard water. The soft-

ener, as factory programmed, regenerates from 2:00AM to about 4:20 AM, a time when not much wateris used.

If you start your day prior to 4 AM, you may need

to change the recharge starting time. Set the re-

charge time to 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM (page 1-4).

Then regeneration will start and end that much ear-lier and your water heater will not refill with hard

water if a hot faucet is opened.

ELECTRONICS

Two main parts of the softener's electronics area WATER METER, and _ a COMPUTER.

WATER METER-- The water meter is in the soft-

ener valve outlet. As water flows through the meter,

it sends electric pulses to the computer. The com-

puter changes the pulses to a measure in gallons ofwater.

COMPUTER--The computer is part of the face-

plate timer circuit board. It is programmed to know

the softener's capacity (how many grains of hard-ness minerals it will take out of the water before a re-

generation is needed). When starting the softener,

page 1-4, you set it for the grains per gallon (gpg)hardness of the water.

To find a regeneration pattern best for your needs,

the computer uses: (1) water usage from the meter,

(2) hardness setting, (3) softener capacity, and (4)

time since the last regeneration. The computer al-ways adjusts this pattern to your water using hab-

its. It works toward providing you with soft water

for the longest time and at the most efficient salt

usage.

Softening capacity is used as hard water goes

through the softener and hardness minerals are re-

moved. When the computer determines that only

enough capacity remains to provide soft water up tothe next regeneration starting time (2:00 AM, or as

otherwise set) it will schedule a regeneration. When

the regeneration begins, *RECHARGE or RE-CHARGE TIME REMAINING flashes during the re-

generation.

* Note:

If the CLEAN feature is set to ON, a cleaning back-wash (CLEAN and Blczvsh or Rinse flashes in the dis-

play, along with the minutes of the clean cycle re-

maining), precedes the recharge.

2-6


[i!i !! :i:_!! :i:_!! :i SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

A. SALT: ADDING SALT TO STORAGE TANK, SALT BRIDGE

S

CT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJJ.

'dJ_dJdJdJdJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ._dJ dJdJdJdJ.,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

WHEN TO ADD SALT: The Salt

Monitor System (see page 2-1)will turn the low salt light on to

warn you when to refill with salt.

Check for a low salt light a few

weeks after you install the soften-

er, and every week after that. Addsalt at about the #2 salt monitor

level. At this level, the tank is

about 1/3 full. Never let the softener use all the salt

before refilling. Without salt, you will soon havehard water. After filling, reset the Salt Monitor Sys-

tem, page 2-1.

Note:

You will have a loss in softening capacity and may

get partly hard water if less than 10 inches (salt mon-

itor level 2) of salt is in the storage tank.

PLEASE SEE PAGE 1-6 FOR SALT FILLING DIRECTIONS.BE SURE TO RESET THE SALT MONITOR, PAGE 2-1.

SALT BRIDGE

Sometimes, a hard crust or salt bridge forms in the

salt storage tank. It is usually caused by high hu-midity or the wrong kind of salt. When the salt

bridges, an empty space forms between the waterand salt. Then salt will not dissolve (melt) in the wa-

ter to make brine. Without brine, the resin bed does

not regenerate and you will have hard water.

If the storage tank is full of salt, it is hard to tell if you

have a salt bridge. Salt is loose on top, but the bridgeis under it. The following is the best way to check for

a salt bridge.

Salt should be loose all the way to the bottom of the

tank. Hold a broom handle, or like tool, up to the

softener as shown in FIG. 10. Make a pencil mark onthe handle, 1" or 2" below the top height of the rim.

Then, carefully push it straight down into the salt.

If a hard object is felt before the pencil mark gets to

the top of the tank, it's most likely a salt bridge.

Carefully push into the bridge in a few places tobreak it. Do not try to break the salt bridge by

pounding on the outside of the salt tank. You may

damage the tank.

push tool into saltbridge to break _ \\

1" _ 2 '_

i

pencilmark

Jbroom handle

Salt Bridge

salt

_-- salt bridge

water level

If the wrong kind of salt made the bridge, take it out.

Then fill the tank with nugget or pellet salt only.

3-1


[i!i !! :;:_ !! :;:_ !! :; SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

B. KEEPING THE WATER SOFTENER CLEAN

NOZZLE & VENTURI

A clean nozzle and venturi (FIG. 11) is a must for the

softener to work right. This small unit moves brine

from the salt storage tank to the resin tank during re-

generation. If it becomes plugged with sand, silt,dirt, etc., the softener will not work and you will gethard water.

To get to the nozzle and venturi, remove the softenertop cover. Be sure the softener is in service cycle (no

water pressure at nozzle and venturi).

1) Turn off the cap from the nozzle and venturi hous-

ing.

2) Lift out the screen support and screen, do not lose

the Im_e o-ring seal.3) Then the nozzle and venturi. Wash and rinse the

parts in warm water until clean. If needed, use asmall brush to remove iron or dirt. Also check and

clean the gasket, flow plugs and screens.

Carefully replace all parts in the correct order. Lu-bricate the o-ring seal with silicone grease or Vase-

line and place in position. Install and tighten the

cap, by hand only. Do not overtighten, whichmay break the cap or housing.

Cleaning Nozzle & Venturi

Cap _

O-ring Seal _.._._

Screen Support _

Screen _........_ _

"°zze2vC --tered directly over the smallholes in the nozzle & venturi

housing.

*Flow Plug(HVDC)

Nozzle & Venturi

Housing

*Flow Plug

Screen

/

*Install with numbered side up concaveside down. Be sure the largest flow plug islocated in the nozzle & venturi housing.

IRON FROM RESIN BED

Your water softener takes hardness minerals (cal-

cium and magnesium) out of the water. It can alsocontrol some "clear water" iron. See maximum al-

lowed in the specifications on page 4-1. With clearwater iron, water from a faucet is clear when first

put into a glass. After 15 to 30 minutes, the water be-

gins to cloud or turn rust colored. A water softenerWILL NOT remove any iron which makes the water

cloudy or rusty as it comes from the faucet (calledred water iron). To take red water iron out of water,

or over the maximum of clear water iron, an iron fil-

ter or other equipment is needed. Your local Sears

store has trained people to help you with iron waterproblems.

If your water supply has clear water iron, even

though less than the maximum allowed, regularresin bed cleaning is needed. Your local Sears storehas resin bed cleaner, Item No. 42-34426 for this.

Clean the bed at least every 6 months. If iron shows

up in the soft water before 6 months, clean moreoften. Printed instructions are on the resin bed

cleaner bottle.

3-2


[i!i !! :i:_ !! :i:_ !! :i SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

C. PROTECT THE WATER

If the softener is installed where it could freeze

(summer cabin, lake home, etc.), you must drain allwater from it to stop possible freeze damage. Todrain the softener:

_[I Close the shut-off valve on the house main wa-

ter pipe, near the water meter or pressure tank.

_! Open a faucet in the soft water pipes to vent

pressure in the softener.

_ Refer to FIG. 14 on page 4-1. Move the stem in

a single bypass valve to bypass. Close the inletand outlet valve in a 3-valve bypass system, and

open the bypass valve. If you want water in the

house pipes again, reopen the shut-off valve on

the main water pipe.

_ Unplug the transformer at the wall outlet. Re-move the salt hole cover and the main cover.

Take off both drain hoses.

_ Carefully remove the large holding clips at the

softener inlet and outlet (see Key No. 67, on page

6-5). Separate the softener from the coppertubes, or from the bypass valve.

SOFTENER FROM FREEZING

Drain All Water From Softener

m

_€_ Remove the brinewell cover and disconnect the

.S

drain wood block

I

brine valve tubing at the nozzle and venturi as-

sembly (see page 3-2). Lift the brine valve out of

the brinewell. Tip the brine valve upside downto drain water.

Looking at FIG. 12, lay a piece of 2 inch thickboard near the floor drain. Move the softener

close to the drain. SLOWLY and CAREFULLY,

tip it over until the rim rests on the wood blockwith the inlet and outlet over the drain. Do not

allow the softener's weight to rest on the inlet

and outlet fittings or they will break.

Tip the bottom of the softener up a few inchesand hold until all water has drained. Leave the

softener laying like this until you are ready to

use it. Plug the inlet and outlet with rags to keep

dirt, bugs, etc. out.

3-3


[i!i !! :;:_ !! :;:_ !! :; SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

D. CHECKLIST ... TO HELP YOU SAVE MONEY

If your water softener fails to work, make the following easy checks. Often, you will find what's wrong your-

self and you won't have to call and wait for service. If you do not find anything wrong, while making the

checks, and your softener still does not work, call your Sears Service Department.

Note:

1. Also read ERROR CODE, page 2-3.

2. If an error code is not displayed, press and hold the SELECT button until the display changes. Then, pressthe SELECT button again and hold until a flashing SR code appears. It must show SR33. If any other number

shows, the face plate computer is working on incorrect input and would probably be the cause of the problem.

To set SR33, press either the UPI2_ or DOWN[_ button. When correct model code shows, press SELECT to

return a flashing 12:00 AM display. Reset the present time, hmdness numbe_, etc., pages 1-3 and 1-4.

PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION

No soft water No salt (or salt bridged) in the storage tank

Transformer unplugged at the wall outlet,or power cable leads loose from theelectronic board, fuse blown, circuitbreaker popped, or circuit switched off.

Manual bypass valve(s) in bypass position

Dirty, plugged or damaged nozzle &venturi

Valve drain hose plugged or restricted

Water hard sometimes Hardness number setting too low

Using hot water when softener isregenerating

Increase in the grains of hardness in yourwater supply

Brine tank flooded Restricted drain line

Plugged or dirty nozzle & venturi

Valve-rotor disc & seals

Add salt, or break the salt bridge (page 3-1).Press ON/OFF-HOLD (RECHARGE NOW)button and hold for 3 seconds to start aregeneration (see page 2-1).

Check for loss of power due to any of theseand correct. With the power back on, look atthe time display and read PROGRAMMEMORY, page 2-3.

Look at FIG.14 on page 4-1. Move the stem ina single valve to service. In a 3-valve bypass,open the inlet and outlet valves, and be sure tofully close the bypass valve.

Take apart and clean or replace damagedparts (see page 3-2).

The drain hose must not have kinks, sharpbends, or be raised too high above thesoftener (see page 16 in your installationmanual).Press and release the SELECT button untilHARDNESS shows in the display. Read thehardness number in the display and be surethe same grains per gallon number is shownon your water analysis report. See page 1-4 toreset. Press and release the SELECT buttonuntil the present time shows in the display.

Avoid using hot water during this time becausethe water heater refills with hard water (seeAutomatic Bypass, page 2-6).

Ask your Sears retail store for a new wateranalysis. Then make a new hardness numbersetting (page 1-4).

Check for kinks, bends or obstructions (seepage 16 in your installation manual).

Take apart and clean or replace damagedparts (see page 3-2).

Check for scratches or grooves, replace ifneeded.

3-4


[i!i !! _;_ !! _;_ SECTION 4 KNOW ABOUT YOUR WATER SOFTENER

S

OT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

'JJJ_JJJJJJJJ-

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJ JJJJJJJJJ._dJ dJd_d_d_.,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

A

B

C

D

E

F1

F2

A. DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

A

CM

Salt Tank Height 40-1/4 102.2Resin Tank Diameter 10 25.4(nominal)Resin Tank Height 40 101.6(nominal)Inlet-Outlet Height 41-1/2 105.4Overall Height 47-3/4 121.3Length 19-3/4 50.2Width 16-1/2 41.9Distance between inlet- 3-3/8 8.6outlet center lines

BYPASS VALVES

Bypass valve(s) should always remain in softwater service position. Position in "bypass" only

if needed for softener repairs.

SINGLE BYPASS

P_LLS, EM

OUTWARDFOR

SERVICE

PushInward

ForBypass

3 - VALVE BYPASS

FOR SERVICE

close bypass valve

open inlet & outlet valves OutletValveFOR BYPASS

open bypass valve

close inlet & outlet valve_,__ _

Bypass

_, / Valve

_ InletValve

TIMER SR CODE SR33

WATER SUPPLY TO WATER SOFTENER

Minimum water system flow (gpm)

Minimum-Max. water pressure (psi)

Minimum-Max. water temperature (° F)

Maximum water hardness (gpg)

Maximum "clear water" iron (ppm)*

SALT FOR WATER SOFTENER

Type of salt needed

Alternate type of salt

3

20 - 125

40 - 120

100

10

nugget or pellet

pure, evaporated, compactedwater softener salt

gpm = gallons per minute gpg = grains per gallonpsi = pounds per square inch ppm = parts per million

*Capacity to remove clear water iron is substantiated by WQA test data. State of Wisconsin requires

additional treatment if water supply contains greater than 5 ppm clear water iron.

4-1


[i!i !! _;_ !! _;_ SECTION 4 KNOW ABOUT YOUR WATER SOFTENER

4O

A. DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

Pressure Drop (PSI) vs. Flow Rate (GPM)

m

u)n

Q.OL.

r_

,=

u)u)0_L.

Q.

35

30

25

2O

15

10

5

0

0

8.0 gpm (_) 12 psi

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Flow Rate (GPM)

Intermittent flow rate does not represent the maximum service flow rate used for determining the softenersrated capacity and efficiency. Continuous operation at flow rates greater than the service flow rate may affect

capacity and efficiency performance.

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS

Type of ion exchange material (resin) high capacity

Amount of resin (cu ft) 1.05

Rated Softening Capacity (Grains @ Pounds Salt Dose) 15,600 @ 3.133,600 @ 10.040,100@ 16.8

Efficiency Rating (Grains/Pound of Salt @ Minimum Salt Dose) 5040 @ 3.1

Rated Service Flow Rate (gpm) 8,0

Pressure Drop at Rated Service Flow Rate (psi) 12

Max. Drain Flow Rate (gpm) 2,0

These systems conform to NSF/ANSI 44 for the specific performance claims as verified and substantiatedby test data.

The efficiency rating is only valid at the minimum stated salt dosage. These softeners were efficiency ratedaccording to NSF/ANSI Standard 44.

4-2

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

[ii :i i,:i i i,:i i i,:i i SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION

S

CT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJ.


,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

A. TROUBLESHOOTING

WIRING SCHEMATIC

Transformej II1_

TurbineSensor

!

BACK OF TIMER |

tgrn

_.I_NO Positionbm Switch

°NC

FACEPLATE f

P. ss o. CusOmerAs , , nce@TONIGHT 1-800 -426-9345

HOLD FOR ww_KenmoleWatencotn

IMMEDIATE

LOWSALT

valvemotor

Keep this manual with your water softener. If repairs are needed, the service technician must have

the information on the following 8 pages. For telephone assistance, call toll free, 1-800-426-9345.

ALWAYS MAKE THESE INITIAL CHECKS FIRST _'_ The valve drain hose must be free of kinks and

_Does the time display show the correct time of

day?

--If display is blank, check power source to thesoftener.

--If time is flashing, power was off for over 6hours. The softener resumes normal operation

but regenerations occur at the wrong time.

--If an error code (Example: Err3) shows in the

faceplate display, go to AUTOMATIC ELEC-

TRONIC DIAGNOSTICS, page 5-2.

_1_ Plumbing bypass valve(s) must be fully in ser-

vice position.

_The inlet and outlet pipes must connect to the

softener inlet and outlet respectively.

_Is the transformer plugged into a "live",

grounded wall outlet, and the power cable fas-

tened securely to the controller?

||

sharp bends, and not elevated over 8 ft. above thefloor.

Is there salt in the storage tank?

Is the brine tubing connected? Brine tubing con-

nects to nozzle venturi and brine valve assembly.

(See page 6- 3)

Is the brine valve float set right? (See page 5-4).

Press the SELECT button two times to displaythe hardness setting. Be sure it is the correct set-

ting for the household's water supply. (Make a

hardness test of the raw water and compare with

the hardness setting. Also test a soft water sam-

ple to verify if a problem exists.) Press the SE-

LECT button twice more to return to present timein the display.

If you do not find the problem after making initialchecks, do the MANUAL INITIATED ELEC-

TRONIC DIAGNOSTICS, and the MANUAL AD-VANCE REGENERATION CHECK.

5-1


[ii:ii,:iii,:iii,:ii SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION

A. TROUBLESHOOTING

AUTOMATIC ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTICS

The faceplate timer (PWA) com- I_lll--_ Iputer has a self-diagnostic func-

tion for the electrical system, ex-

cept for input power and water

meter. The computer monitors electronic compo-

nents and circuits for correct operation. Ifa malfunc-tion occurs, an error code appears in the faceplate

display.

CODE

Err1, Err&Err4Err5

The chart below shows the error codes that could

appear, and the possible defects for each code.

While an error code appears in the display, all face

plate buttons are inoperable except the SELECT but-

ton. SELECT remains operational so the service per-son can make the MANUAL INITIATED ELEC-

TRONIC DIAGNOSTICS (below) to further isolatethe defect, and check the water meter.

POSSIBLE DEFECT

MOST LIKELY _..--' _,. LESS LIKELY

motor inoperative / wiring harness or connection to switch / position switch / valve defect causinghiqh torquefaceplate timer (PWA)

PROCEDURE FOR REMOVING ERROR CODE FROM FACEPLATE: 1. Unplug transformer from outlet 2. Correct

defect 3. Plug in transformer 4. Wait for 8 minutes. The error code will return if the defect was not corrected.

MANUAL INITIATED ELECTRONICS

DIAGNOSTICS

_l_To enter diagnostics, press the SELECT buttonand hold for three seconds.

You will see the following display, showing valvecycle position, position switch status (open or

closed), and turbine operation.

valve position indicator

indicator (open)

turbine count (water

flowing) _.

;....... /¢-._q [! 1''U

turbine count (nowater flowing)

TURBINE OPERATION: If no water is flowing

through the softener, the turbine indicator displaysthree zeros. When water is flowing, the flow bar

scrolls across the display, and a 000 to 199 count re-

peats for each gallon of water passing through the

turbine. To check for positive operation of the tur-

bine if zeros are shown, open a nearby soft waterfaucet and observe the turbine count and flow bar.

If you don't get a reading in the display, with faucet

open, pull the sensor from the valve outlet port.

Pass a small magnet back and forth in front of the

sensor. You should get a reading in the display. If

you get a reading, unhook the in and out plumbingand check the turbine for binding.

UPOSITIONSWITCH

SENSOR

VALVEOUTLET

RBINE

RBINE

SUPPORT ANDSHAFT

POSITION SWITCH STATUS: With the valve in ser-

vice, or any of the recharge cycles, the switch indica-

tor will show open .-,x... While the valve is rotating

from one position to another, the indicator willshow the switch closed -,'-. A defect is probable if

indications vary from this pattern.

5-2



A. TROUBLESHOOTING

VALVE POSITION INDICATORS: Depending on

the valve position, the following indicators show inthe display:

INDICATOR VALVE POSITIONServ ....................... serviceFill ........................ fill

Brine ...................... brining/brine rinseBkwsh ..................... backwashRinse ...................... fast rinse

When the valve is rotating from one cycle to another,

both indicators flash. For example, if the valve is in

transition between fill and brining, both Fill andBrine flash. Upon reaching brining position, Fill

goes off and Brine is on steady. The time displayshows the minutes of the cycle remaining.

NOTE: If the faceplate is left in a diagnostic Idisplay (or a flashing display when setting times Ior hardness), present time automatically returns Iif a button is not pressed within 4 minutes. To I

return to the diagnositc display, repeat step 1. I

OTHER INFORMATION: While in this diagnostic

screen, the following information is available andmay be beneficial for various reasoRs. This informa-

tion is retained by the computer from the first time

ek-_rical power is applied to the faceplate.

... Press [] to display the number of days this face

plate has had electrical power applied.

... Press [] to display the number of regenerations

initiated by this faceplate since the SR code numberwas entered.

ImPress the RECHARGE button to advance the

valve to each position and observe the switch

and position indicators to verify component op-

eration, or to possibly isolate a defect.

ImPress and hold the SELECT button for 3 secondsuntil ...

I i dd...SR33 shows

This code identifies the softener nominal capacity

size. If the wrong number shows, the softener willoperate on incorrect programming. Do the follow-

ing as needed.

SR33 does show -- Press the SELECT button to re-

turn to the present time display.

To change SR number -- Press the UP or DOWN

button until the correct SR code shows. Then, pressthe SELECT button and reset the timer ... page 1- 3.

TIMER PWA REPLACEMENT: Be sure the

valve is in service position when replacing thetimer PWA (observe valve cycle indicator).

IL after installing and programming the re-placement timer PWA, the valve is not in ser-

vice position, do the following to assure correctcycle orientation, or timing, between the face-plate and valve.

Use the MANUAL ADVANCE procedures,page 5-4. With the RECHARGE NOW button,advance through the recharge cycles until thevalve stops in service position, and RE-CHARGE no longer flashes in the display.

NOTE: The valve motor may automaticallydrive through several valve positions while

searching for service. If an error code occurs,unplug the transformer, then plug in again.

.i.no NI

positionmarkers(valve inservice)

CAM

5-3



A. TROUBLESHOOTING

MANUAL ADVANCE REGENERATION CHECK

This check verifies proper operation of the valvemotor, brine tank fill, brine draw, regeneration flow

rates, and other controller functions. Always make

the initial checks, and the manual initiated diag-nostics.

Notes:

The faceplate display must show a steady time (not

flashing). If an error code shows, first press the SE-LECT button to enter the diagnostic display.

_ Press the RECHARGE button and hold in for 3

seconds. *RECHARGE and Fill begin to flash (or

clean backwash begins, if set) as the softener en-

ters the fill cycle of regeneration. When FILL is on

steady, remove the brinewell cover and, using aflashlight, observe fill water entering the tank.

*Note:

If the CLEAN feature is set to ON, a cleaning back-

wash (CLEAN and Bkzosh or Rinse flashes in the dis-

play, along with the minutes of the clean cycle re-maining), precedes the recharge.

a. If water does not enter the tank, look for an ob-

structed nozzle, venturi, fill flow plug, brine tubing,

or brine valve riser pipe.

CYCLE FLOW RATES (GALLONS PER MIN.)FILL (flow to salt storage tank) 0.3 (1.1 liters)

BRINING '_ .22 (.83 liters)

BRINE RINSE I (flow .15 (.57 liters)to

MAX. BACKWASH drain) 2.0 (7.6 liters)MAX. FAST RINSE 2.0 (7.6 liters)

_ After observing fill, press the RECHARGE but-

ton to move the softener into brining. A slow

flow of water to the drain will begin. Verify brine

draw from the brine tank by shining a flashlightinto the brinewell and observing a noticeable

drop in the liquid level.

Note:

Be sure a salt bridge is not preventing water withsalt contact.

a. If the softener does not draw brine ...

...nozzle and/or venturi dirty or defective. See page3-2

...nozzle and venturi not seated properly on gasket.

See page 3-2

...restricted drain (check drain fitting and hose).

...defective nozzle and venturi seal. See page 3-2

...other inner valve defect (rotor seal, rotor & disc,wave washer, etc.).

Note: If water system pressure is low, an elevated

drain hose may cause back pressure, stopping brinedraw.

_1_ Again press RECHARGE to move the softenerinto backwash. Look for a fast flow of water from

the drain hose.

a. An obstructed flow indicates a plugged top dis-

tributor, backwash flow plug, or drain hose.

_ Press RECHARGE to move the softener into fast

rinse. Again look for a fast drain flow. Allow thesoftener to rinse for a few minutes to flush out

any brine that may remain in the resin tank from

the brining cycle test.

_To return the softener to service, press RE-CHARGE.

BRINE VALVE, ' FLOAT SETTING

5-4


[ii _ii_i i i_i i i_i i SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION

B. ROTARY VALVE SERVICE

Before working on the valve, turn off the water sup-ply and disconnect from electrical power. TO RE-LIEVE PRESSURE:

• 3 VALVE BYPASS: Close the inlet valve and opena soft water faucet. Then close the outlet valve and

open the bypass valve.

• SEARS SPECIAL BYPASS: Slide the bypass valve

stem to bypass position. Loosen three hex headscrews toward the back side of the valve to allow

pressure water to bleed out. Catch water with a rag.

DISASSEMBLY

To remove a part or group of parts, refer to the valve

drawing. A common screwdriver or nut driver,

Phillips screwdriver and pliers are the only toolsneeded to completely disassemble.

SERVICING THE VALVE

Inspect all o-rings, seals and gaskets for wear or de-fects.

Inspect the bottom surface of the rotor for scratches,

chips or wear.

Then, turn the rotor (clockwise only) to service posi-

tion. Tighten the screws using a criss-cross pattern.If a torque wrench is available, torque to 30-40 inch

pounds. Do not over tighten.

Lubricate the gear on the motor, and the valve camgear with Molykote grease, or other high quality

gear lubricant.

Be sure to orient switch as shown, with lever towardthe cam.

T. __otor

motor plate

Note:

If replacement is needed, be sure to use the currentreplacement part.

ASSEMBLY

Be sure all parts are in place and in the proper posi-

tion. Lubricate ALL o-rings and seals with FDA ap-

proved silicone grease. To install the rotor seal, firstplace the seal into the valve groove, rounded side

down (see cross-section). Apply a light coating of

silicone grease to the seal's crossing ribs. Then, care-

fully center the wear strip on the seal, and push itdownward onto the seal.

Install the nozzle and venturi seal and drain seal.

Assemble wave washer bearing, the wave washer,and two o-rings onto the rotor top shaft. Then center

the rotor in the valve body, on the rotor seal.

Lower the cover onto the valve body and rotor shaft.Then install the cover holding screws. Before tight-

ening the screws, install the valve cam and gear.

wear- stri

seal

o-ring seals _wave washer

I

rotor & disc

-....

see Nozzle

assemblyservice,

page 3- 2

o- ring

rotor seal

drain seal

nozzle & venturi seal

5-5



C. WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SOFTENER VALVE

SERVICE CYCLE

from Valve Inlet(hard water)

To Valve Outlet(soft water)

resin

I bed

bottom distributor __-_/

distributor

resin tank

positionswitch

Hard water enters the valve inlet port. Internal valve porting routes thewater down and out the top distributor, into the resin tank. Hard water issoftened as it passes through the resin bed, then enters the bottomdistributor. Soft water flows back into the valve and out the valve outlet, to

the house soft water pipes.

FILL CYCLE

position switch valve camventuri

rotor & disc

fill flowfrom Valve Inlet

plug (hard water)

fill water(soft) top distributor

To Valve Outlet(soft water) ¢

resinbed

bottom distributor ___41

resinbed

resin tank __

position -- 7"1switch

To begin a regeneration, the electronic timer energizes the circuit to the valvemotor. The valve motor rotates the rotor and disc and the valve cam until the

position switch lever drops, to open the motor circuit and position the valve in

FILL. As the rotor and disc rotates, the port opens for SOFT water fill throughthe venturi. Fill flow continues to the brine valve, and into the salt storagetank. Soft water is still available to the house lines.

5-6




BRINING AND BRINE RINSE CYCLES

venturi

nozzlefrom Valve Inlet

brine from sal_ • (hard water)storage tank

waterto valve outlet

After fill, timer/switch action allows the motor to turn the rotor and disc into

BRINING position. Water flow is directed to the nozzle. Suction, created by thenozzle and venturi, draws brine from the salt storage tank and injects it into theresin bed via the bottom distributor. Flow continues out the top distributor and tothe drain. Hard water is available at the valve outlet.

When the brine valve closes to end brine draw, water flow continues in the same

directions to slowly RINSE brine from the resin bed and to the drain.

bypasswater

to valve out-let

f

BACKWASH CYCLE

flow plug

drain

Timer/switch action again allows the motor to turnthe rotor & disc to place the valve in BACKWASH,stopping water flow to the nozzle. Water is routeddown and out the bottom distributor, up through thebed, and out the top distributor to the drain. The fastflow (controlled by a flow plug in the drain fitting)flushes dirt, sediments, iron deposits, remaining brineand hardness to the drain.

\

I I sPOwtffci_n

5-7


[ii _ii_i i i_i i i_i i SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION


FAST RINSE CYCLE

drain

soft waterto valve outlet

t \ \

&

positio_ _

switch

During FAST RINSE, the rotor & disc is positioned so water flow enters theresin tank through the top distributor, and exits through the bottomdistributor, to the drain.

The electronic timer again energizes the motor to return the valve to

service. As the valve rotates, the position switch lever drops to open thecircuit. The valve remains positioned in service until the electronic timerinitiates the next regeneration.

5-8


SECTION6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

S

CT

N,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

,JJJJ JJJJJJJJJJ.

'dJd_dJdJdJdJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJJ.

,JJ JJJJJJJJ.


,JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ.

Kenmore MODEL NOS. 625.388270 [_ and 625.388280 [_

3\

29

28

27

RatingDecal Location

26O S 25

24

23

22

13

14

6-1


SECTION6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

Kenmore MODEL NOS. 625.388270 [_ and 625.388280 [_

KEYNO.

1

1

2 7230020

3 7229998

- 7264566

4 7252373

5 7268625

6 7230038

- 7268081

- 72644437 7231571

8 7265025

9 721988810 7082150

11 7003847

12 7100819

13 7137913

14 7257307

15 7232250

16 0900431

17 1103200

18 9003500

19 7116488

20 7105047

21 0502272

22 723547823 7170270

24 7077870

25 7170254

26 7170296

27 7141001

28 7176292

29 7088033

• 3442699

• 7144821

A. WATER SOFTENER COMPLETE

PART DESCRIPTIONNUMBER

7258997

7276547

Cover Lock (req'd for ship. only)

Rim Insert (req'd for shipping only)

Cover (main)

Salt Hole Cover (order following decal)Instruction Decal

Transformer, 24V-1OVA •

Timer Rept. (PWA)Faceptate (order following decal)

Faceptate Decal, UltraSoft 275

Faceptate Decal, UltraSoft 280Rim

Ultra Cleansing Screen, UltraSoft 280 onlyBrinewelI Cover

Wing Nut, 1/4"

O-RingBrinewell

Decal, Salt Level

Salt Storage TankPlastic Screw, 1/4" x 5/8"

Tube Clamp •

Tube Adaptor •Grommet •

Brine Valve Asm. (also see pages 6-3, 6-4)

Replacement DistributorResin

Resin Tank (incl. Key No. 21)

O-Ring, 2-3/4" x 3"

Top Distributor

O-Ring, 13/16" x 1-1/16"

O-Ring, 2-7/8" x 3-1/4"

Vapor BarrierClamp Section (2 req.)

Clamp Retainer (2 req.)Resin Bed Cleaner

Parts Bag, (includes parts marked with a •,pages 6-2, 6-4 & 6-6) - order manualssepartately if needed.Installation Manual

Owners Manual

• not illustrated.

Aligns with top of brinewelI.• included in parts bag.

6-2


[i!i !! _;_ !! _;_ SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

Kenmore MODEL NOS. 625.388270 _0_ and 625.388280 _0_

48

47

INLET - OUTLETGROUNDING CLAMPS

46

45

6-3


[i!i !! _i_ !! _i_ SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER


B. BRINE VALVE ASSEMBLY

KEY PARTNO. NUMBER

30 7168647

31 0513860

32 7097202

33 0516947

34 7093216

35 7092278

36 7170288

37 0516211

38 0516924

39 1205500

40 7092252

41 7080653

42 7131365

43 7094979

44 7092294

45 7176161

46 7095470

47 7113016

48 7171349

49 7248706

DESCRIPTION

Ceramic Weight

Float Stop

Float (includes Key No. 33)Float Seal

Float Rod & Stem

Guide Cap

O-Ring 15/16 x 1-3/16

Seal

Retainer, Bottom Seal

Clip

Brine Valve Body

Clip

Screen

Insert

Retaining Ring

O-Ring, 5/16 x 9/16

Brine Tube

Tubing Assy. (includes Key Nos. 43, 44 & 45)

Cone Screen

Grounding Kit •

• included in parts bag, see page 6-2.

6-4


[i!; !! :;:_ !! :;:_ SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER


535O

51

53

52

54

55

56

79

92

l 76

78

91

60 59

61

63

64

58

74

57

wear-strip

seal ..._

crOSSveSeCtion

66

\68

6-5


[i!i !! _;_ !! _;_ SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

Kenmore MODEL NOS. 625.388270 _0_ and 625.388280 _0_C. VALVE ASSEMBLY

KEY PARTNO. NUMBER50 722408751 722854452 7231385

53 090085754 050328855 711392756 714294257 090043158 7024160

59 717032760 709261861 717023862 717021263 7082087

64 719923265 717024666 711671367 7278442

68 717028869 7134224

70 717020471 709264272 712988973 220410174 711785875 7082053

76 708176477 7081201

DESCRIPTION

Screw, #8-32 x 1" (2 req.)Motor (incl. 2 ea. of Key No. 50)Motor Plate

Screw, #6-20 x 3/8 (2 req.)BearingCam and Gear

Clip (Drain)

Tubing Clamp •Drain Hose AdaptorO-Ring, 5/8 x 13/16Flow Plug, 2.0

O-Ring, 7/16 x 5/8O-Ring, 3/4 x 15/16Wave Washer

Rotor & Disc

O-Ring, 3-3/8 x 3-5/8

Clip (2 req.) •Installation Adaptor, 1" NPT(2 req.) •O-Ring (2 req.) •Rotor Seal

O-Ring, 3/8 x 9/16Plug (Drain Seal)SpringTurbine Support and ShaftTurbine

Valve BodySeal (Nozzle & Venturi)Retainer (Nozzle & Venturi)

KEY PARTNO. NUMBER78 717031979 708110480 1202600

81 709503082 114880083 7114533- 720436284 708460785 7146043

86 716765987 717026288 719972989 724871490 0900060

91 708526392 707412393 707747294 703071395 7117816

96 7070412

• 7253808

• 7129716

• 42-3433

• 42-34401

• 42-34403

• 7123613

• not illustrated

• included in parts

DESCRIPTION

O-Ring, 1/4 x 3/8 (2 req.)Nozzle & Venturi HousingNut - Ferrule

Cone Screen

Flow Plug, .3 gpmNozzle & Venturi Gasket Kit

Gasket (only)

Flow Plug, .15 gpmScreen

Screen SupportO-Ring, 1-1/8 x 1-3/8

CapWire Harness (Sensor)O-RingValve Cover

Screw, #10-14 x 2 (5 req.)

Expansion PinSwitch

SpacerScrew, #4-24 x 1-1/8 (flat head)Nozzle & Venturi Asm(incl. Key Nos. 79 & 81 - 88)

Seal Kit (incl. Key Nos. 61, 62, 65,69, 70 & 76)Drain Tubing, 3/8" I.D. x 20'Flexible Connectors, 3/4"

Flexible Connectors, 1"

Silicone Grease (for O-Rings)

bag, see page 6-2.

BYPASS INSTALLATION VALVE

DESCRIPTIONKEY PARTNO. NUMBER97 0502206

98 727126299 7105013

100 7130911101 7170288

• 7278434

Retainer RingBypass Body

O-Ring, 13/16 x 1 (4 req.)Stem

O-Ring, 15/16 x 1-3/16 (2 req.)Bypass Valve (Complete) •

100J 99 98

10197

6-6


OWNER'SMANUAL

MODEL NOS.

UltraSoft 275625.388270_0_

UltraSoft 280

625.388280_0_

The model number of

your water softener isfound on the rating decal.This decal is on the rim,under the salt cover.

When requesting serviceor ordering parts, alwaysprovide the following in-formation:

• Product Type• Model Number• Part Number

• Part Description

www.KenmoreWater.com

Water Softeners

Your Home

For repair-in your home-of all major brand appliances,lawn and garden equipment, or heating and cooling systems,

°om°.erw.omadei,,°omo,tor.._o°o,d.:For the replacement parts, accessories and

owner's manuals that you need to doqt-yourseif.For Sears professional installation of home appliances

and items like garage door openers and water heaters.iiiiiiiiiiiii

1-800-4-MY-HOME ® (1-800-469-4663)

Ca!{anytime,day or night (U.S.A. and Canada)www.sears,com vc_rw,sears.ca

ourHomeFor repair of carry-in items like vacuums, lawn equipment,

ande_eotrooios,coilo,goon-,hefor_hoIocatiooofyou,noarostSears Pa_ & Repair Center.

............. CC:1-800-488-1

Ca,a_yt_mo,doyoro_g,tfU.S.A,o_y)www,sea_.com

TO purchase a protection agreement (USA)or maintenance agreement (Canada)on a product serviced by Sears

1-800-8:27-6655 (US,A.) 1-800-361-6665 (Canada)

Para pedi_ servicio de reparaci6n Au Canada pour service en frangais:

adomicilio,yparaordenarpiezas: 1.800.LE.FOYER!_,:1-888-SU-HOGAR _'_ (%800=533.6937)

(%888 _784_27 } ,ma,_y_afs ca .....

¢2 Sea_ Roebuck _r_d Ce

I Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 U.S.A. I

water softeners - user manual search engine · ,jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj. a. safety guides • read all...

Documents